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Active Support is a proven model of care that enables and empowers people with intellectual disabilities to participate fully in all aspects of their lives. This evidence-based approach is particularly effective for working with people with more severe disabilities, and is of growing interest to those responsible for providing support and services. The authors provide a comprehensive overview of Active Support and how it can be used in practice, based on the theory and research underpinning the methods involved. They describe how to engage people with intellectual disabilities in meaningful ac

BackgroundThe quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disability living in supported accommodation services is variable, influenced by many possible factors. Various frameworks have attempted to identify these factors without assigning value, direction of influence or relative impact on outcomes.MethodsA realist review of the literature aimed to expose different propositions about variables influencing QOL outcomes and review the strength of supporting evidence for these, to identify their relative influence. Evidence was reviewed for and against each of five clusters.ResultsEvidence was strongest for the presence of staff practices (use of Active Support), front‐line management practice (use of practice leadership), culture (enabling and motivating), human resources policies and practice (that support front‐line leaders and recruitment of staff with the right values), adequate resources, and small, dispersed and homelike settings.ConclusionsThe evidence informs policy and practice but in some clusters remains limited, warranting further research which measures outcomes on all QOL domains.

AbstractThe Czech national policy on social services and health is based on the principal of human rights and empowerment of persons with disabilities. Based on published literature and reports, as well as knowledge and experience from working in the field, this mainly conceptual article summarizes progress over the past two decades in the Czech Republic in moving from an institutional era toward one that values community‐based alternatives. While European and national policy is supportive of community living, and new individualized funding streams have been created, progress in the Czech Republic toward the goal of community living for everyone with a disability has been slow and has met with many barriers. The authors highlight the need to consider issues such as the availability of data related to funding and delivery of services, planning of the transitional period toward community‐based services, accessibility of reports on quality of services (including institutions), and the conflict of interests created by the system of guardianship. The authors conclude that despite economic circumstances that may slow down the process of deinstitutionalization, the direction of change toward community living needs to be sustained.

This paper responds to four commentaries on our original paper in this issue. We respond to issues raised under three headings addressing the scale of the task envisaged in the 2001 White Paper Valuing People, the feasibility and effectiveness of individual planning and how to achieve person‐centred action. We conclude that there is substantial agreement about the goals of intellectual disability services and the processes that need to take place around individuals to help them get what they need and want. We disagree about whether person‐centred planning will deliver this, and about whether it will provide a robust basis for claiming and defending the resources people with intellectual disabilities will need in the future.

This article reports on pre and post interviews with trade union leaders and senior Trades Union Congress (TUC) and union officials who held campaign responsibilities for the 2016 UK European Union (EU) Referendum. The article considers the development of union policy towards the EU, the determination of unions' final positions, campaign resources and media, the arguments made and the drivers of and constraints upon active campaigning. Campaign intensity, resourcing and strategic decision-making varied widely across unions and was frustrated by resource constraints, fear of alienating members and in some cases lack of priority. The article concludes that unions must be better prepared to commit material resources and national officers' time so that campaign issues are effectively framed in terms of member concerns.

Though NATO and other military forces increasingly recognize protection of civilians as a key objective in their operations, implementation remains challenging. To effectively protect, the military force must understand the threats that exist and match capabilities to counter them. The authors strongly believe that military planners need a more formal structure to conceptualize physical protection, and here outline 'The Protection Ladder' as a tool for military planners and leaders, to explain the legal obligations and additional operational capabilities necessary for civilian protection. The article offers practical suggestions on how civilian protection can be effectively addressed before, during and after military operations. NATO should develop its protection capabilities, for future mission success depends upon it.